Day 31 -- St. Joseph to Chillicothe -- 90 Miles

90 miler today. The forecast called for rain all day, but thankfully the meterologists were incorrect, as we only had to battle the rain for the last 8 miles. The humidity, on the other hand, decided to show up for the duration of today's ride. It was muggy out there -- but I didn't mind it too much. It almost felt like home (although rumor has it that Boston got into the triple digits today).

I spent the day riding with Sooner Rick, Georgia Joy, and Phil from Maryland. All three of them are extremely strong riders, so I was glad that I was able to hang with them throughout the day. Well, either that, or they all took pity on the 6'8" freak and took it easy on me. Either way, I managed to roll into the hotel alongside of them.

The terrain, as expected, was like a roller coaster. We climbed approximately 4,000 feet, but barely changed our overall elevation. It was up and down all day, but it was a great challenge.

One of the highlights of the day was pedaling through Amish country. Although the Amish seem to be very friendly people, our bike group was instructed to not take pictures (during yesterday's route rap) of them, as they consider it disrespectful, and I did my best to respect their wishes.

We passed by a "live (Amish) produce auction," and it was very intriguing. I am pretty sure that this guy was the emcee for the event. The bid process was happening very fast -- the Amish know what they want, and don't waste any time! It was also great to see this "share the road" sign as an Amish horse and carriage simulataneously passed by us. The timing could not have been more perfect.

After making our way through the Amish area, we eventually arrived in Chillicothe (pronounced chilly-COTH-ee), our hometown for the evening. Chillicothe is best known as being "The Home of Sliced Bread." On July 7, 1928, the Chillicothe Baking Company began selling pre-sliced bread to grocers, marking the first time sliced bread was available commercially in the world. You learn something new every day!

Tomorrow we have approximately 85 miles, part of which brings us through "Thousand Hills State Park." Sounds like fun!